General Officer Commanding, GOC, commanding 82 division of the Nigerian army, Enugu, Brigadier General Shehu Yusuf, has tasked practising Journalists in Nigeria, to always be factual in their report.
He gave the charge when the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Enugu state council, comrade Louis Dilibe, led a delegation of journalists in the state to pay him a courtesy visit recently.
The G.O.C, who personally received the delegation in his office promised to ensure a harmonious working relationship with media practitioners through out the entire South East zone, which falls under the hierarchy of his division, stating it is very inevitable that practising journalists must verify and clarify their information from authentic sources before going to press, since most members of the public depend on them for information.
He expressed displeasure with the way some journalists reported the issue of arrest of 450 Northerners at Aba, in Abia state, within the month of June. He stressed that the issue was blown out of proportion by some newsmen, who captioned the suspects as belonging to members of the ‘Boko Haram’ sect.
Brigadier General Yusuf stated that the exact position was that most of them were fleeing away from the dreaded acts of the ‘Boko Haram sect in some northern part of the country. However, those of them suspected to be of questionable character in the cause of the investigation faced the wrath of the law.
He advised that Journalists must for the sake of promoting National peace and unity, clarify and balance their stories especially, at this point in time that the nation is faced with a lot of security challenges.
Earlier in his address, the chairman of Enugu state council of Nigeria union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Louis Ngozika Dilibe, stated that the purpose of the visit is to establish a working relationship among media practitioners in the state and the Army, in promoting peace and progress in the state.
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GOC tasks journalists on objectivity
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